Placement of breast pocket handkerchiefs



May 14, 1940. A. c. GRUNWALD PLACEMENT OF' BREAST POCKET HANDKERCHIEFS Filed July 7, 1938 haw?) 15 Patented May 14, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PLACEMENT 0F BREAST POCKET HANDKERCHIEFS 1 Claim.

My invention relates to the placement of breast pocket handkerchiefs. It is concerned with the solution of the vexaticus problem of the insertion of a folded handkerchief' into a breast pocket without wrinkling or dog-caring the folded handkerchief in the process of inserting it, so that the handkerchief will lie smoothly and substantially atwise Within the pocke-t and present a neat and trim appearance.

In carrying out my solution to this problem, I employ an inserting device. But this device I have made extremely simple structurally and very economical to produce, so that it may be given away by haberdashers, valet shops and clothing merchants. With that end in view, the inserting device is designed to afford ample and suitable surface for receiving inexpensively printed advertising messages.

I contemplatey that my inserting device may be given away by valet services in connection with the pressing or cleaning of suits, and the suits delivered with the handkerchiefs inserted in the breast pockets by the use of the inserting device and with the inserting device left in the pocket to help protect the position and `fold of the handkerchief during delivery and closet storage of the suit.

It would be contemplated that the inserting device would be removed before the suit was worn. But if the wearer should forget to remove the inserting device and subsequently inadvern tently press the ypocket against the edge of a piece of furniture, for example, there would be danger of cutting the handkerchief or the goods of the suit or the pocket lining if' the device were made of raw edged sheet metal. One feature of my invention is that the inserting device is made of non-metallic sheet stock, such as ber board, whosev edges are not likely to cut fabric under such circumstances and which, moreover, is resiliently flexible. Thus, in the event of such pressure by an external cornered object', the inserting device will ex, further removing any tendency to cut or tear the fabric or stitching. But due to the resilience of its exibility, it will return to its normal position.

My inserting device is also of aid as a guide in the proper transverse refolding of the folded handkerchief to insure that the handkerchief will protrude the sartorially correct distance from the pocket.

The foregoing together with further objects, features and advantages of my invention are set forth in the following description of a specific embodiment thereof and illustrated in the' accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the inserting device;

Fig. 2 shows the folded handkerchief indicating where the inserting device is placed thereon before the handkerchief is transversely refolded;

Fig, 3 is a perspective view of the assembled refolded handkerchief and inserting' device as it is about to be inserted into the breast pocket of a mans suit;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section through the pocket, refolded handkerchief, and inserting device after the handkerchief has been fully inserted in the pocket, but before the inserter is withdrawn; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the pocket with the inserted handkerchief protruding therefrom and the inserting device having been fully with drawn from the pocket and handkerchief.

The square handkerchief I0, as shown in Fig. 2, is folded in one of the usual manners to bring the four handkerchief corners I I at one end and to give a folded width to the body of the handkerchief which is slightly less than the Width of the breast pocket. I have shown the folding to give parallel lateral sides to the folded handkerchief, but I contemplate that another usual type of fold may be employed where the lateral sides converge away from the handkerchief corners. The center point I2 of the handkerchief comes at the end of the folded handkerchief opposite the corners II.

The inserter I3 is then laid upon the folded handkerchief, as indicated by the dot and dash l lines in Fig. 2, with the arched or rounded end I4 of the inserter substantially registering with the handkerchief corners Il and the square cut end I5 defining a transverse medial line across the folded handkerchief. This determines the refold line I6.

The inserter I3 is preferably formed from fiber board about one-sixteenth of an inch thick. The width is slightly less than the width of the pock-v et, and consequently of about the same width as the folded handkerchief. I prefer that the inserter be made of a fiber board, and that the fiber board be relatively stiff, but still resiliently exible, so that it can be flexed through a considerable curvature without putting a permanent bend in it. This is for the reasons explained in the introduction. Incidentally, a small hole I1 may be provided in the inserter at its rounded end I4 so that it may conveniently be hung on a hook or nail.

Not onlyT is the fiber board flexible and its edges not conducive to cutting of fabric, but its surfaces and edges are smooth so that they will not catch on the fabric of the handkerchief o1' pocket and permit an easy sliding contact with fabric, so that later the inserter may be withdrawn without danger of moving or carrying with it any portion of the handkerchief.

The body of the fiber board constitutes a large unobstructed surface which is easily printed with the name of the donor or other advertising message. This printing may be done economically so that it does not add much to the cost of the inserting device, which itself is very simple and economical tc manufacture, ship and store.

Reverting to Fig. 2, the folded handkerchief is refolded along the line i6 as determined by the square cut end l of' the inserter. That portion of the folded handkerchief between the refold line and the center point l2 is swung over on top of the inserter. The square cut end of the inserter not only7 locates the refold line at the propel' distance from the handkerchief corners ll, but it insures that the refold is at right angles to the axis of the folded handkerchief and it facilitates an even fold. If desired the center point I2 may then be turned down toward the refold, if it should come so high that it would be exposed behind the handkerchief cor ners Il. The assembled inserter and handkerchief-with the inserter lying between the refolded portions of the handkerchief and its square cut end lying in the bight of the refold ifi-are then grasped, between the a unit, the :lingers being held at the upper end of' the assembly, and the assembly is then brought into the position of Fig. 3 in reference to the breast pocket i8, which is here illustrated as being a. breast pocket of the usual size in a mans suit. The assembly is then inserted into the pocket refold-first and pushed to the bottom thereof. This is done by pushing downwardly on the upper ond of the inserter while holding the handkerchief corners H and the center point I2 against the upper end of the inserter. The square cut end l5 of the inserter lies 'within the bight of the refold and extends substantially throughout the transverse length of the refold. This precludes any substantial folding back or dog-caring of the refold corners during the insertion, despite any friction between the refold corners of the handkerchief and the fabric of the pocket or its lining.

The handkerchief is inserted until the refold comes to the bottoni of the pocket. The inserter is about an inch or so longer than the depth of the pocket. When thus inserted the rounded end I d of the inserter will protrude about an inch from the top of the pocket. So will the handkerchief corners l, because the distance of the refold IE from the handkerchief corners has been gauged by the length of the inserter. Thus the sartorially correct protrusion of the handkerchief corners Il is insured to the exclusion of any guess work or the necessity of taking out the handkerchief and forming the refold at another position.

Because the forward and rearward refolded portions of the handkerchief have been held rather taut, by virtue of their being clamped at their upper ends by the fingers, and the bight of the refold being preserved by the square cut end of the inserter, the front and rear portions of the refolded handkerchief are inserted into the pocket flatwise without any wrinkling or undesirable folds.

After the handkerchief has thus been inserted in the pocket, the finger-grasp on the ends of the refolded handkerchief is released and only the end of the inserter is engaged. The inserter is then drawn upwardly from between the refolded portions of the handkerchief and from the pocket, as shown in Fig. 5.

Because the inserter is smooth surfaced and carries no shoulders or projections calculated to catch on the handkerchief, it will slide easily away from the handkerchief. The friction of the handkerchief with the fabric of the pocket or pocket lining is much greater than the friction with the inserter. This differential of friction plus the weight of the handkerchief and the mechanical wedging of the corners of the refold of the handkerchief into the bottom corners of the pocket, insures the withdrawal of the inserter without disturbing the position of the handkerchief within the pocket.

I contemplate that Celluloid or other suitable composition board may be substituted for the fiber board as the non-metallic sheet material of the inserter.

I claim:

The method of inserting a square handkerchief in a breast pocket by means of an inserter board of slightly less width than the pocket and of length about an inch greater than the depth of the pocket, which consists in folding the handkerchief into a folded width slightly less than the width of the pocket and of folded length approximately twice the depth of the pocket and with the corners of the handkerchief substantially aligned at one end of the folded handkerchief, laying the inserter board upon the folded handkerchief with one end of the board approximately registering with the corner end of the folded handkerchief, refolding the other end of the folded handkerchief over the board, using the other end of the board as a guard for the bight of the refold, inserting the assembled board and refolded handkerchief refold-first into the pocket by downward pressure of the board manually applied at its upper end until the refold substantially reaches the bottom of a pocket, and then withdrawing the board upwardly from the pocket without withdrawing the handkerchief from the pocket.

ALBERT C. GRUNWALD. 

